Airbnb could be worth $10 billion

There’s another money mint in town as San Francisco startup Airbnb is reportedly in talks to raise funds that would value the company at more than $10 billion, according to the WSJ.

The Journal reports that the private-equity firm TPG — which also has a stake in the ride-sharing service Uber — is in line to lead the funding round, which could total between $400 million and $500 million.

For a reality check, at $10 billion, Airbnb would be worth more than hotel chains like Wyndham ($9.4 billion) and Hyatt ($8.4 billion), but less than Hilton ($22 billion).

It’s not often that start-ups get valued at $10 billion plus, but we’re starting to see a few now with DropBox being worth $10 billion and Facebook buying WhatsApp last month for $16 billion. Reality check: Facebook is worth $174 billion.

But Airbnb is not without its problems. As The Chronicle recently reported, renters in San Francisco are getting evicted for Airbnb-ing their apartments. And last fall, New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman subpoenaed Airbnb for information about its hosts, checking to see if they were violating a law forbidding them from renting their units for less than 30 days if they’re not around.